A scanning electron microscope, which is a form of a charged-particle beam device, is an device that detects secondary electrons or the like obtained by irradiating an electron beam on a sample to thereby perform an image formation, measurement of a pattern, a defect test, and the like. According to refining of semiconductor devices and the like in recent years, importance of the scanning electron microscope tends to further increase. As a mechanism for holding a semiconductor wafer, which is an irradiation target of an electron beam, an electrostatic chuck is known. The electrostatic chuck is a holding mechanism capable of firmly holding a wafer and suitable for an increase in speed and an increase in accuracy of an device.
PTL 1 mentions that, in order to suppress electrostatic breakdown and the like of a sample, an ultraviolet beam source for irradiating an ultraviolet beam on the sample is provided in a sample chamber. PTL 2 describes a mechanism for measuring an amount of electrostatic charge in advance with a surface potential sensor before a wafer is conveyed to a sample chamber.